New Korean Place in Plano (long)
Ok ... this is not your normal Dallas restaurant. In fact, I thought it was a hole-in-the-wall fast-food place (a la Lover's Egg Roll) when I stumbled across it, tucked in a corner of an Asian shopping enclave (at 2200 North Coit in Plano) last Saturday. But after investigating and trying a few of the items on the 13-item menu, I decided this is a real find. So much so, in fact, that I came back with a few more family members for lunch on Sunday. It will definitely serve to satisfy our craving for Korean food without having to drive to Irving.
The restaurant is called Korean Garden, and a sign behind the counter says it opened on February 14. It is located in the same shopping center as Joy Luck BBQ and a large Asian grocery store (on the NW corner of Coit and Park). Korean Garden only has seating for about 30 people, and you sit in the hallway of the shopping center, right next to a Shiseido makeup store. Fancy, it isn't!
The menu consists of three appetizers: Kim-Bob, Spicy Rice Cake and Mae-Mul Pa-Jeon; three Korean barbecue dishes: Bul Go Gi, Chicken Gu-e, and BBQ Ribs; five soups: Kim-Chi Soup; Original Soon Tofu, Gol-Bi Tang, Bul Go Gi Bowl, and Ginseng Chicken; and two rice dishes: Bibimbob and KimChi Bibimbob. With the exception of Ginseng Chicken, everything costs $5.99 or $6.99. You receive several complimentary side dishes, such as KimChi and Shredded Beef. Complimentary roasted-wheat-and-corn tea is also available, and soft drinks are available for sale.
We tried the Bibimbob, KimChi Soup and Bul Go Gi Bowl (also a soup) and found them all to be delicious, perfectly spiced and made with very fresh ingredients. Despite everything being cooked to order, it only took a few minutes from the time the order was placed until they called our number for pickup.
I am not sure what the serving hours are (aside from the Saturday and Sunday lunch I was there), but their phone number is 972/599-1189 if you are interested in checking them out. I highly recommend a detour into the place if you are in the area. And, for those of you who consider Plano the hinterlands, it's only a couple of miles north of the Central Market on Coit at 190.
Korean Garden
2200 N. Coit
Plano
972/599-1189
Kirk
Mar 11, 2003 04:22PM
Kirk,
Where in Irving do you go for Korean?
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I haven't made the drive, but when I did a Guidelive search several months ago, a number of them came up. Looks like Yet Gol is considered the best.
Link: http://www.guidelive.com/search?type=...
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Kirk,
Finally made it out to Korean Garden. Thanks for the tip! Would've never found this place without this tip. For a full review, visit: http://donnaaries.wordpress.com/2006/...
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Glad you enjoyed your visit, Donnaaries!
Next time you go, try the Kimchi Soup. If you're not familiar with Korean food, though, it can be a bit daunting..."spicy" doesn't quite capture its charm. It's a great way to warm yourself up on a cold day, though, if we ever have one of those again.
If you would like to try another hole-in-the-wall Korean place, I suggest Jin Mi. It's also in Plano, in a shopping center (where else?) at the northeast corner of 15th and Independence. They've got a broader menu, which includes my current favorite summer dish: Naeng Myun, cold buckwheat noodles and garnishes in chilled beef broth.
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